Regulator.



F. J. LALLEIVIENT.

REGULATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. a, 1915.

1,168,013. Patented Jim. 11, 1916.

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` sraY PATENT oFricfE.

FRANK J. LALLEMENT, OE LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-I-IALFVTO WARREN S. PANGBO-RN, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

REGULATOR.

`'flpecification of Letters Patent. Y PatentedJan. 11, 1916.

appiicationnied Mareas, 1915. serial Nq. 12,843.

To all 'LU/0m it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK J. LALLEMENT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Regulator, of which the fol-' lowing is a specification.

An important object of this invention is the provision of a device of this character of minimum original and maintenance costs and of minimum liability to become disarranged. In devices of this kind heretofore invented a. comparatively large amount of leather is used, and as it is necessary for 'the leather to be of a very good quality, the cost of the same makes the device quite eX- pensive to manufacture, and maintain in good working order; also atmany times in the prior devices there is considerable strain on the leather so as to stretch the same and make it porous andproduce holes therein, thus allowing the operating fluid to leak therethrough; andan Object of this invention is to minimize the amount of leather required and to so construct` the device that there is never any excessive strain on the leather' tending to produce holes therein.

Another object is to so construct the device asv to facilitate removal of carbon deposits from the valve plug and renewal of the plug when necessary, such carbon de posits being ordinarily the cause of considerable expense in the upkeep of other regulators now in use.

Another object is to facilitate removal and replacement of the leather employed in the bellows.

Another object is to minimize the number of pivots employed and to provide 'a construction whereby the pivot will not be exposed to corrosive', carbonizing or other action of the operating fluid tending to'produce sticking of the operative parts so that they cannot properly fulfil their functions.

Other objects and advantages may appear in the subjoined detail description.

rlhe accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

Figure 1 is a vertical mid-section of a regulator constructed in accordance with the provisions of this invention, the operating parts being shown in the valve-openV position. Fig. 211s a plan section on line indicated by 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a mid-sec tion analogous to Fig. 1, showing `the operating parts inthe valve-closed position. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section on line indicated by fc4-004, Figs. land 2. Fig. 5 is a fra-gmentary plan vew of Fig. 1.* Fig. 6 is a perspectiveview of the novel detachable valve. Fig. 7 is a transverse section of the valve on line indicated by acl-m7, Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a developed viewl of 'a blank from which a l portion of the valve is made, broken lines indicating the plug-holding limb bent up into shape.

There is provided a case of suitable construction and, in the instance shown in the drawings, said case is substantially circular and comprises a tray land cover 2, said tray and cover being connected together by there being suitable packing A of leather or the like to make a tight joint between the tray and cover. 'ihe tray 1 and cover 2 together form a gas chamber 5 having an inlet 6 through the tray 1 and having an outlet 7 through the cover 2. The inlet 6 is connected to a supply main 8 andthe outletv 7 is connected to a service pipe 9.

A suitable bellows is provided and in the instance shown in the drawings the upper side or stationary plate ofV the` bellows is formed 'of that portion ofthe cover 2 circumscribed by an annular lug 10projecting from the inner face of said cover, and the lower 'side of said bellows is formed of a movably mounted gravity-lowered plate 11, and the circumferential wall of the bellows is formed of a flexible annular band 12 of suitable material such as leather fastened by suitable means at its edges to the bellows plates. These fastening means in the instance shown comprise flexible rings 13 between which and the lug 10 and plate 11 respectively are tightly clamped the edges of the band 12, said rings 18 being drawn up tight by screws 14 and nuts 15. Glue or the like not shown 'may also be used to aid in producing tight joints between the band 12, lug 10 and plate 11.

The cover 2, plate 11 and band 12 alto gether form a bellows chamber or air chamber a which communicates through a vent b and pipe o to the atmosphere. The movable plate 11 is pivotally mounted in the case and the`pivotal mounting in this instance is located in the air chamber a; and is constructed as follows: The plate 11 is provided atfthe edge adjacent the inlet 6 with "fastening means such as bolts 3 or the like, l

ears 16 through which are screw threaded pivots 17 that engage sockets 18 formed in the edge of a nut 19. The nut 19 is engaged by an adjusting stem in the form of a screw 2O having a shoulder 21 and turning in and projecting through a hole 22 in the cover 2, the head of the adjusting screw beingron the outside of the cover and the shoulder 21 on the inside of the cover.

From therforegoing it is clear that the pivots of the movable plate 11 may loe raised and lowered by turning the adjusting stem 2O in the appropriate direction.

The movable plate 11 is provided with a radial projection forming an arm 23, said plate and arm together functioning as and forming a lever of the first class, and the fulcruin of the lever is formed by the pivots 17. rEhe lever arm 23 is designed to engage and depress a valve plug of suitable construction and in this instance constructed as follows: A T-shaped blank formed of longitudinal and transverse limbs 24, 25 has its transverse limb 24e bent around the edges of a leather plug 26 and metal backing 27 and forming a flange 28 bent around the edge of the under face of the plug. The limb 24 is provided at one end with a projection 29 designed to engage an eye 30 at the other end of said limb, and is also provided with a projection 81 designed to engage an eye 32 in the limb 25.

The limb 25 forms a spring and is fastened by .suitable means, as rivets 33, to a stud Bel which projects through a slot 85 in the peripheral wall of the tray 1, the outer portion of said stud having a shoulder 3G fitting' against said peripheral wall to properly locate the valve plug 26 over the valve seat 37. The shouldered portion olil the stud 311 rests within a socket 3S formed by a hollow boss 39 and said stud forms a seat for the inner end of a coil spring 40 which is held in compression against the stud by reason of the opposite end of the spring being seated against a plug 41 screw threaded into the socket 38.

From the foregoing it is clear that the plug 41 may be readily removed so that the valve can be taken out and the leather scraped or renewed when carbon deposits make such scraping or renewal necessary or desirable.

in practice when the operating fluid is flowing through the service pipe 9, the pressure in the chamber 5 will be reduced to such a degree that the movable member 11 will swing downward so as to move the operating parts to open the valve to a greater or less degree to permit fluid to pass through the inlet and by the valve. 1n F ig. 1, it is assumed that the fluid is being drawn so rapidly from the device as to allow the movable plate 11 to engage the tray 1 andbe held thereby against moving to a great enough degree to draw the flexible band 12 taut, and the advantage of this is that the flexible band 12 cannot possibly lbe stretched so as to make holes in it and wear it out. Vhen the fluid is no longer being drawn from the service pipe 9, the rise in pressure will swing the movable plate 11 up to close the valve plug down onto the valve seat, thereby shutting oli" the fluid.

lt is particularly noted that adjustment may be made to different service pressures by merely turning the adjusting screw in the appropriate direction to cause the lever arm 23 to recede from or approach the valve seat 37 so that greater or less service pressure may be obtained. This particular adjustment feature of theY invention is very important as the adjustment can be made without disconnecting' the device and interfering with the service. Many prior constructions are such that disconnection of the devices is necessary before ladjustment can be made and considerable difficulty iseXperienced in making the adjustment, because the device must be disconnected and then reconnected andthe fluid turned on each time for trial adjustment until the desired regulation of pressure is obtained. lt is also noted that in the use of' this class of devices, gas carbon is a great source of annoyance, and this is especially true when artificial gasis the fluid to be regulated, many prior devices being constructed in such manner that with said devices it is necessary to disconnect them and take them tothe repair shop in order to remove the carbon. This is an expensive proceeding and it is readily seen that bv constructing the valve so as to make it removable through an opening in the case the device need not be disconnected in order to remove carbon' deposits from the valve and change the leather of the valve.

Simplicity is greatly contributed to in this invention by reason of the plate 11 functioning as one side of the bellows, as the weight or gravity operated member and as a lever to close the valve.

What I claim is:

1. A regulator comprising a case, a plate pivoted 1n the case, said case and plate together forming the top and bottom respectively of a bellows, a flexible bellows band fastened' at its edges to the case and plate respectively, said case being provided with an inlet external of the bellows, and a valve controlling said inlet and operated by said plate.

2. A regulator comprising a. case, a plate pivoted in the case and designed when moved 1n one direction'to engage the case, said case and plate together forming the top and bottom respectively of' a` bellows, a flexible bellows band fastened at its edges toy the case and plate respectively and being of sulcient width tov allow it to be slackywhen the of the bellows, and a. valve controlling said inlet.

4L. A regulator comprising a ease, a bellows in the case provided with a plate, said ease having an inlet external of the bellows, a valve controlling the inlet and operated by said plate, ears projecting from the plate, pivots screw-threaded through said ears, a nut having sockets engaged by said pivots, and a stem adjustably engaging the nut and extending through the wall of the case.

5. A regulator comprising` a case having an annular lug projecting downward from its top, a flexible band fastened at one edge to said lug, a plate fastened to the other edge of said band, a pivot for the plate between the ease top and the plate, said case having an inlet outside of said flexible band, and a valve controlling said inlet and operated by movement of the plate on its pivot.

6. A regulator comprising a case having an inlet and outlet and having an orifice, a stud projecting through said orifice, a valve plug to control the inlet, a spring fastened to the stud and connected to the valve plug, means to hold the stud in place, and pressure operated means to move the valve.

7. A regulator vcomprising a case having an annular lug projecting downward from its top, a flexible band fastened at one edge to said lug, a plate fastened to the other edge of said band, means engaging the plate to prevent said band from becoming taut, a pivot for the plate between the ease top and the plate, said casefhaving an inlet outsideof said flexible band, and a valve con-- trolling said inlet and operatedby movement of the plate on its pivot.

8. A regulator comprising a bellows forming an air chamber and provided with a vent communicating with the atmosphere, a pivot for one side of the bellows located inside of said bellows, a valve operated by movement of said side, and a stem passing through the other side of the bellows and connected to the pivot to move said pivot.

9. A regulator comprising a case having an inlet and outlet, a valve plugy for the inlet, a flat spring connected to one end of the valve plug, means to detachably hold the other end of the spring in Xed relation to the ease, and Huid pressure operated means to move the valve plug against the force of said spring.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 26th day of February, 1915.

FRANK J. LALLEMENT.

In presence of- ANNA F. SGHMIDTBAUER, LoRA M. BOWERS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patent/s,

' Washington, D. C. 

